Extra £20 UC payment and furlough are ending
If you are receiving Universal Credit you will notice in your future payments from the end of September, that the temporary £20 per week increase to your Universal Credit will stop. If you receive your Universal Credit monthly this will equate to a reduction in your payments of £86.67 per month.
The DWP will contact you through your Universal Credit Portal to confirm when the increase in your payments will stop.
If you’re worried about how you’ll manage your household budget after the extra support ends, you’re not alone. But help, including free debt advice, is available. Please visit this page on making the most of your money where you can find free advice on budgeting, managing household bills and other helpful tips.
There is an excellent free budget planner on Money Helper here if you want to revisit your income and outgoings. All you need to do is enter how much you spend and how much you’ve got coming in and the calculator will give you a breakdown of your finances and personalised tips to help you make the most of your money.
If you are receiving payments through the coronavirus job retention or furlough scheme, your employer should be in touch to advise you of how the end to this scheme will impact you shortly. If you have not heard from your employer, you should contact them for an update on how this change will affect you.
Money Helper also offers a great free benefits checker to make sure that you're getting all you are entitled to, so it's worth a look.
Westward are here to help if any of the upcoming changes mean that you will struggle to afford your payments to us or any other household bills. Please contact us on 0300 100 1010 should you have any concerns about the upcoming changes.
If this drop to your Universal Credit payments will put you in financial difficulty, you should talk to someone today so we can help you.